1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an improved graphical user interface. In particular, the invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for selecting actions for applications to perform on files.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A graphical user interface (GUI) is used on most computers to present information to users in an easily understood form. The GUI is also used to accept commands and information from the user. Although there are several types of GUIs, they typically share certain methods of operation, including the use of a pointing device, e.g. a mouse, a keyboard touchpad, or a trackball. These pointing devices allow a user to point to an object intuitively, e.g. a file or application, on the computer display and to select the object by pressing a button on the pointing device. In many cases the object can be dragged across the display with the pointing device, for example by continuously pressing the mouse button while the mouse is moved.
The following terms will be used in the context of this description:
An application is a program that operates on one or more files.
A file is a distinct collection of information that has typically been created with and operated on by an application.
A desktop is the visual background of a GUI; application windows are opened on top of the desktop.
An icon is a visual representation of a file or application, commonly placed on a desktop or in a taskbar which shows running applications.
Under most GUIs, files and applications are usually represented on the computer display in one of several ways. An application may be represented by a desktop icon, which the user can click on to start the application. A file can also be represented by a desktop icon, which the user can click on to start the appropriate application opened to that file. An application that is currently running is often represented on a taskbar, which displays all running applications as buttons for easy selection. Both icons and taskbar buttons can be pointed to and selected with the pointing device.
Several GUIs offer a feature in which a file is dragged onto a compatible application, which then performs a default action on the file. For example, if a document file icon, representing a text based file, is dragged onto an application icon representing a word processor or other compatible application, the application opens within a window and displays the selected file. If the same document file icon is dragged onto a printer icon, a printer application may open a print dialog window from which the user can print the file. If the document file icon is dragged onto a directory icon, the file may be moved or copied to that directory.
The action taken on the file in this manner is limited to one default action defined for the pairing of the file and a compatible application. Although there are typically several common actions that may be taken on a file, for any actions other than the default action the user must first open the application to the desired file and then select the desired action. It would therefore be desirable to allow a user to select, via the GUI, from several actions appropriate to the file and application pairing, obviating the need to open the application and load the file manually. Additionally, it would be advantageous to retain the current behavior and to apply the added functionality without adding complexity.